Kat was complaining (again!) because the blogs are a bit slow this week. I thought I’d be a doll and punch this out… Hopefully I’ll get so engrossed in it that I’ll forget just how frozen my feet are and how much the mold on my wall is spreading in this adorable student housing. (Insert sympathy here)

After sitting through 45 minutes of wobbly camera work, out of sync speech and a particularly freaky glowing green woman, the two-minute news story I had waited so patiently to watch finally appeared. Simultaneously some guy knocked on our front door blurting out the awfulness that is The Script through his musical device. The TV’s sound turned into a faint whisper, leaving me fuming that I had missed hearing about the work of one of my local idols, Steve Bloom. I know what you’re thinking Nick – Becci actually likes someone? Yes, it’s true and I have good reason to!

Steve Bloom is a photographer who specialises in “evocative images of the natural world”. He swapped his career in the graphic arts industry back in the early 90s for the precarious life of a wildlife photographer. Professional Photographer Magazine described him at the “leading edge [of photography] who sets the agenda for the future”.

Setting his own assignments from the heart, Steve has spent the past 14 years documenting life in Africa through the eye of a lens. He particularly focuses on capturing the dying out traditions of his beloved birthplace. Throughout the 14 years he has produced a number of powerful portrayals of life in Africa. His experiences have been placed into his latest book – Living Africa – which he describes as a tribute to the continent.

In his previous Book – Untamed – Steve says “Photography is the means by which I strive to engender in others a feeling of unity with the natural world. There remains the ongoing challenge to portray life in all its manifestations, and create images that reveal the very essence of what it is to be a living being.” Personally I’d say he has achieved his challenge in these awe-inspiring images. Put this masterpiece on your Christmas lists, guys!